One common type of industrial building is called a tilt-up building because of the construction technique used to build them. These buildings are usually one story, up to eighteen or twenty feet high, and have a slab foundation. The external concrete walls are made by placing a form on the slab foundation pouring concrete into the form and, after set, tilting up the concrete panel and securing the wall panels in place. The abutting side edges of adjacent panels are commonly joined together in the following manner. Mounting plates are cast into the concrete wall panel on the inside face of the wall panels at the edge of each panel joint. A connecting plate is then welded to the cast-in mounting plates to rigidly secure the wall panels to one another across the joints.
Tilt-up buildings have become very popular because of their relative low cost and ease of construction. However, during earthquakes the rigidly secured joint plates are subject to failure which allows the wall panels to fall outward, inward or both, thus posing a serious danger to persons and property.